Posted on 02/06/2007 12:08:48 PM PST by 300magnum
NEWTOWN, Conn.—In response to New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's filing of a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission yesterday, indicating that he would enter the 2008 presidential race as a Republican, the firearms industry's trade association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), reminded America's sportsmen and gun-enthusiasts of the former mayor's record of hostility toward firearms and gun-owners.
"Recent remarks indicate the mayor is attempting to camouflage his record on guns – a political maneuver now common for politicians seeking national office," said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel.
In June of 2000, then New York City Mayor Giuliani became the lone Republican mayor to sue members of the firearms industry as part of a wave of lawsuits that began in the late 1990's by major metropolitan cities like Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and San Francisco that sought to hold firearms manufactures responsible for the criminal misuse of firearms. The Giuliani lawsuit is still pending and being aggressively pursued by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Giuliani strongly opposed legislation blocking suits like the one he filed against members of the firearms industry. In 2005, President Bush signed legislation into law that barred such lawsuits after Congress, by a broad bipartisan margin, passed the bill. During the debate in Congress the Giuliani lawsuit was specifically referred to as an example of the kind of "junk" lawsuit the law is intended to stop.
"Giuliani's lawsuit may have gained him praise in Gotham, but will surely handicap him in the rest of the country, particularly during the southern primaries," predicted Keane.
More recently Giuliani's campaign has flipped-flopped on whether he continues his longstanding support for restoring the Clinton-era federal ban on some semi-automatic rifles based on cosmetic appearance. The so-called "assault weapons" ban sunset in 2004. Several studies including those by the Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control showed the ban had no impact on crime largely because the banned firearms were very rarely if ever used in crime. The ban had nothing to do with machine guns, which have remained heavily regulated since the early part of the last century.
According to the New York Post, Giuliani's political operative in New Hampshire, Wayne Semprini, "has been telling voters that the mayor will be an 'easy sell' - and that the ex-mayor 'satisfied' him that he won't support federal assault-weapons bans, as he has in the past." All the while Anthony Carbonetti, Giuliani's top advisor, has been telling New Yorkers "the mayor's position on this [the assault weapons ban] has not changed."
Commenting on this equivocation, Keane added, "You can't pretend to be a supporter of sportsmen and gun-owners in New Hampshire when you tried to sue the firearms industry out of existence in New York. Other politicians learned the hard way that sportsmen and gun-owners are a well-informed and highly motivated voting bloc. Former President Clinton in his memoirs admitted the gun issue cost Al Gore the White House, and Senator Kerry's ill-fated goose hunt cooked his presidential aspirations in 2004."
Formed in 1961, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is the trade association for the firearms industry. For more information, visit www.nssf.org.
"The Rat candidates are, I'd bet, to the left of him on EVERY issue."
No, They're not. Hardly anyone running for office is stupid enough to be for partial birth abortion, but Rudy is.
Wait and see what happens in the primaries. You don't have to take my word on it.
The Rudy apologists will make excuses for this gun hater!
As I stated, gun (real) owners will not vote for Rudy.
Suing gun manufacturers for gun deaths is like suing the car industry for hit-and-run driving deaths.
It would help if he jettisoned them BEFORE beginning a campaign for the presidency.
Too late for that.
I believe he is now against it. I'd be surprised if any major presidential candidate in the Rat party took that position.
"My point was that to keep the debate fair and honest, one must also include a candidates current viewpoints on the issues."
Like john kerry's viewpoints in 2004?
Remember then? Republican called his shifting viewpoints 'flip flopping'. However, if a liberal republican shifts his viewpoints, it's called a "conversion".
Odd how the conversion ties in with a run for the presidency.
Spiff, This was too funny to only be posted once...lol
Giuliani is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He maketh me lie to the FReepers:
He leadeth me beside my liberal brothers.
He divideth my Party:
He leadeth me in the paths of willful ignorance for His name' sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of "haters",
I will accept no truth; For Rudy art with me;
Rudy's campaign staff, they comfort me.
He preparest a table for me amongst deviants and abortionists;
He filleth my head with mud; My mouth runneth over.
Surely, liberalism and lies shall follow me all the days of my life,
that Rudy may dwell in the House of White forever.
still early haven't made up my mind.
He was a great leader during the 9/11 tragedy in NYC, but we'll have to see how things play out. I'm not completely sold at this point.
"Because a plurality of Republicans LIKE Rudy Giuliani and want to vote for him. Simple as that."
That's what we in Texas call a LIE."
I'm talking about NATIONAL polls, not Free Republic polls. FR members have Duncan Hunter at 27% while nationally he's around 2%. Guess which polls are more relevant to national elections?
Don't know my alternative. I guess I'll just have to have faith that in the good old US of A someone who is anti-gun, pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage and pro-amnesty for illegal aliens won't actually become the Republican presidential nominee. (Actually, I can't believe I'm even having to consider that possibility.)
This is my first day to post on FR, but it seems that if you have beliefs you hold very important you become known as part of the "must think exactly as I do" crowd. Is it too much to ask that the Republican candidate for president at least thinks more like I do on important issues than the Democrat candidate does? Rudy agrees with Hillary on more key issues than he agrees with me on.
MSM polls? Where it's Rudy V Hillary, or Rudy V McCain V Hillary?
How about a real poll where it's just the conservative candidates weighted one against another?
Nah... just keep cheerleading for the gun hating RINO. Easier than thinking.
However, a candidate WILL exhibit a knowledge of the limits the Constitution puts on government power. If not, they shouldn't be anywhere near an elected office.
Rudy doesn't have a clue.
But how great of a "leader" was he before the 9/11 attacks? What did he do to prepare for any future attacks? Are you aware that despite the reports that came from the first WTC attack in 1993, just before he became Mayor, that Giuliani never found it necessary to upgrade the communication systems for the NYPD and FDNY in order to allow them to communicate with each other? WTC 93 made it obvious that the WTC was a major target for attack. Why then did Giuliani have the $13 million emergency operations center for the entire city placed in the WTC (WTC7 - one of the buildings that went down on 9/11) on the 27th floor? He didn't place the Office of Emergency Managment - the city's emergency response department - at a cabinet level until AFTER 9/11.
May 19, 2004 9/11 Hearing testimony:Giuliani's testimony came on the second of two days of public hearings at Manhattan's New School University.
On Tuesday, Commissioner John Lehman, a former U.S. Navy secretary in the Reagan administration, said that at the time of the attacks, city officials lacked clear lines of authority in case of a crisis and its emergency management plan merely "puts in concrete a severely dysfunctional system."
Lehman said the city's command, control and communication systems remain "a scandal" two-and-a-half years after the attacks.
"It's not worthy of the Boy Scouts, let alone this great city," he said to applause from spectators.
But former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik and former New York Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen disagreed sharply with that assessment. Von Essen called Lehman's complaint "outrageous."
I do believe you speak the truth. If he gets the nomination, I can't see true Republicans going out to vote for that character, even at the horrific prospect of seeing Hillary in office. My take on such a situation is that the American people are stupid beyond belief and deserve what they will get. And if that happens I hope that they get it good and hard.
Count me among the latter group. I suspect most Giuliani supporters are Republicans, and most "Rudy-haters" are conservatives who have no intention of compromising on 80% of their principles just to get some jack@ss with an (R) after his name elected.
There are "flip-floppers" (which Kerry should have won awards for) who change their stance on issues based only on what they consider politically advantageous to them at any given time. However, not every person who amends an opinion, or changes an opinion on a given subject should be classified as a "flip-flopper".
I realize that you have already made a decision to fight hard against Giuliani as you have proven by your repeated posts on these threads (some might even call it "spamming"). As for me, I think it's too early to tell who will be our best defense against Hillary and the other Democrats who are running. An open mind is a wonderful place to learn. :)
What I find most pathetic about that exchange is the number of times Hannity goes out an includes a rationalization for Rudy's abysmal track record in almost all of his "questions."
Great point. This ought to be etched in stone.
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